Final Fantasy IX, one of the most beloved entries in the venerated JRPG franchise, has long been rumored to be getting a remake in the same vein as what Square Enix is currently doing with Final Fantasy VII. Rumors that have recently been all but confirmed, to the joy of many classic Final Fantasy fans.
Though a critical success, Final Fantasy 9 did not meet Square Enix’s financial expectations, commonly attributed to both its release late in the PlayStation 1’s life, as well as its art style feeling to many like a step back from the more realistic Final Fantasy 7 and FF8. Despite this initial stumble, Final Fantasy 9 has grown a dedicated following in the larger fandom, thanks to its mirror shine polishing of the classic turn-based combat system that made the series famous, and its charming cast of characters.
But no game is perfect, even games that the series creator has gone on record to name as his favorite. FF9‘s cast of characters, in particular, could benefit from the Final Fantasy 7 Remake approach. This could fix aspects of their character that were either not expanded upon enough or simply haven’t aged well in the 20 years since its release.
FF9 Remake Should Revise Zidane’s Flirting
Zidane Tribal is considered by many fans to be one of the best Final Fantasy protagonists the series has ever seen. In stark contrast to the previous two protagonists in the PS1 era of Final Fantasy, Zidane was a funny, optimistic, flirtatious rogue whose two primary concerns were adventure and beautiful women. But while the majority of his flirting is done in good fun and respect for personal boundaries, there are some moments where the game shows its age with what it considers funny.
One example comes early in FF9 where Zidane, climbing a ladder behind his love interest Princess Garnet, reaches up and gropes her. While this does result in physical reprisal, as is the typical punchline of these kinds of scenes in JRPGs, it comes across today as unnecessarily crass. Especially since the rest of the game showcases that Zidane is good at knowing when a flirt goes too far, as seen when he drops his game of forgetting Freya’s name when it becomes clear that she doesn’t find it funny. Zidane is not ruined by these scenes, but they do stand out from otherwise consistent characterization. Removing them from an FF9 Remake would improve Zidane’s character for modern standards without needing to substantially change the narrative.
FF9 Remake Will Need More Character Development For Party Members
One aspect of the original Final Fantasy 9 most fans and critics agree is where it truly shines is in its cast of party members, all of whom have a wide variety of personalities, abilities, and character arcs. But some, naturally, get more attention than others. The black mage Vivi, for instance, is a fan favorite due to his adorable demeanor belying a deep sadness about the nature of his existence, and for the deep existential themes his story explores. Even characters players don’t know much about, like Steiner, still have satisfying character arcs and delightful personalities.
Meanwhile, the dragoon Freya almost gets there, but just misses the mark due to large parts of her backstory just not being as explored as they could have been. One of the central parts of her character is her relationship with fellow dragoon Sir Fratley. While we get bits and pieces of their relationship, it’s never explored as much as it could have been, due to him being absent for the grand majority of the game. Fixing this in the Final Fantasy 9 Remake would be as simple as adding in one or two more of the game’s Active Time Events, where she perhaps talks about Fratley to another party member, discusses more about how they met, why she fell in love with him, and so on. It would be a small change, but little moments like this would go a long way to making Fratley’s apparent death at the hands of Queen Brahne and Odin hit all the harder.
The one that suffers the most, however, is the monk Amarant. He is the last regular party member to join the team in FF9, and as is typical of RPG parties, the last one to join gets the least amount of development. But there’s more than enough room for giving Amarant more characterization since the game goes on for at least another 20 hours after you complete the main party. Things like a new side quest dealing with his backstory and what caused him to turn out such a brooding loner, or more ATEs where he interacts with individual party members, would go a long way.
FF9 Should Redesign & Reexamine The Villains
The FF9 remake also needs to reexamine Kuja’s relationship with the larger antagonist Garland. Kuka is one of Final Fantasy‘s best villains, but one inconsistency with how he interacts with Garland is that they both want the same thing. They both want to sow destruction throughout Gaia. Kuja may have a problem with sharing the spotlight, but Garland has no reason to stand in his way throughout the second act of the story like he does, since the player is given no reason to believe that Kuja is doing anything that Garland wasn’t going to do anyway. Kuja is a narcissist, so him hating Garland and sabotaging his machinations despite them technically being on the same side doesn’t need to be changed. But the FF9 remake should reconsider how Garland would react to Kuja and interact with him. With how FF7 Remake was so willing to change its story, a major shift to the villains’ dynamic in FF9‘s remake is not impossible.
Final Fantasy 9 remains one of the most cherished entries in the series, its gameplay is still inspiring current titles to this day, and FF9‘s story and characters are still being ranked among the very best by fans. There is always room for improvement, however, and this all but confirmed remake could stand to follow Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s example. The cast of Final Fantasy 9 is almost as beloved as Final Fantasy VII’s, and giving them the same retooling and polish might be just what this classic needs to get the respect it was originally denied.
